Expressing deep concern over the ‘transfer’ of a major share of Left votes to the BJP in the recent Parliamentary elections, the CPI (M-L) Liberation has called for a bigger Left unity to launch movements against what it called the fascist upsurge.

The party has stressed on intensive re-connection with the traditional Left voters, whose votes went to the saffron camp. Party leaders said that opposing the Trinamul Congress with the same intensity, the BJP should be treated as the number one ‘political enemy’ in Bengal. Party general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, who was in Siliguri on a two-day tour recently, said the development was dangerous for democracy.

“It is a matter of shame and great concern that a major share of Left votes shifted to the BJP in the recent elections in West Bengal. The BJP can never be an option to get rid of the oppressive and repressive tactics of the Trinamul Congress. To choose the BJP to gain freedom from the Trinamul Congress would be a mistake.

The drift towards the saffron party, despite their diametrically opposite ideologies, is alarming. We are reviewing the situation and have already started discussing it with other Left parties, both centrally and at the state level, because we believe that a bigger Left unity is the need of the hour and a strong movement should be built up right from the grass roots against the BJP,” Mr Bhattacharya said in Siliguri on Saturday.

According to him, around 23 percent of the votes of the Left Front has been reduced and around 16-17 percent votes shifted to the BJP. “Our first priority should be to reach out to the traditional Left voters, who were believed to have cast votes to the BJP, to make them realise the situation, the anti-people policies, the pro-corporate economic policies and others.

They should not make casting votes to the BJP a habit. At the same time, our fight against the misrule of the Trinamul Congress with the same intensity will continue, considering BJP as our number one political enemy in West Bengal,” Mr Bhattacharya added.

While he addressing a media conference, he also later spoke in a seminar on ‘Rise of Fascism and Challenges to Leftism’ organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the CPI (M-L) and birth centenary of Naxal leader Charu Mazumder. Mr Bhattacharya said plans of a bigger Left unity could not work out earlier when they had made efforts with resolutions adopted in 10th Party Congress of the CPI (ML) Liberation last year.